Dispenser for handling components



March 28, 1961 ALDEN 2,977,027

DISPENSER FOR HANDLING COMPONENTS Original Filed June 22, 1954 INVENTOR. MILTON ALDEN United States Patent O v" Original application June 22, 1954, Ser. No. 438,451,

now Patent No. 2,860,404, dated Nov. 18, 1958. Divided and this application Sept. 19, 1958, Ser. No.

4 Claims. (Cl. 222-156) g This invention relates to dispensers for small parts or electrical components that are particularly adapted for dispensing small parts or electrical components at a work position or station along an assembly line, for example, of the type described and claimed in my copending application Serial Number 438,451, filed June 22, 1954, now United States Letters Patent No. 2,860,404, of which the present application is a divisional application.

Accordingly, the objects of this invention are to provide a dispenser or hopper Which is convenient and easy to use, which is simple and economical to manufacture, which is rugged and has no moving parts, which permits a ready check of its contents and which advances the manufacturing arts generally. a 1

According to my present invention, the dispenser or hopper comprises an elongated hollow housing preferably rectilinear in section, one wall of which is movable in a lengthwise direction. The bottom of the housing is closed by a declivous bottom piece that extends transversely from the lower end of the movable wall to the opposite wall of the housing to form a V-shaped recess. The dispenser is preferably supported in an upright position by a mounting foot which is attached to a supporting surface so that a corresponding declivous portion thereof removably engages the V-shaped recess in the bottom of the housing. In a more specific aspect the declivous portion of the foot is provided with an extension having upturned lips to form a chute which engages the lower end of the movable wall to lift the wall so that the parts or components in the dispenser are fed by gravity out through the resulting aperture into the chute. The movable wall is preferably made transparent or furnished with a window and indicia to provide a count of the number of parts or components remaining in the dispenser.

These and other objects and aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention which refers to drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a container or hopper for components; v

Fig. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the container;

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of a foot for the container; and i Fig. 4 is an isometric view showing the arrangement of several containers on a pallet.

In Fig. 4 are shown several article containers or hoppers 38 and 38' arranged in a semi-circle on the top of a pallet 22 at a work center such as is described and claimed in my United States Letters Patent No. 2,860,404, which is being used to assemble the components held in the containers. It will be noted that because of their compactness and the small supporting area required, the v Patented Mar. 28, 1.961

side 124 of the housing is slidable in grooves 126 formed adjacent the reentrant edges of the flanges of'the channel member 122. The top of the housing is covered by a cap 128 and the bottom by a declivous bottom piece 130 which extends angularly upward from the lower end of the slidable wall 124 to an intermediate location upon the opposed wall formed by the Web of the channel 122 so that lifting of the movable wall permits the articles stored in the container to flow downwardly and outwardly under the influence of gravity when'the housing is in an upright position.

To facilitate the discharge of articles from the container 38 a mounting foot 132 (Fig. 3) is screwed or otherwise permanently fastened to the pallet 22 or other work surface. The foot 132 has a declivous portion 134 which is proportioned so as to insert in the cavity formed beneath the bottom piece 130 and abut such piece when the container is lowered onto the foot. Formed integrally with the declivous portion 134 is a channel-shaped chute 136 whose flanges 138 converge to direct articles discharged from the container into a depression 140 in the channel web portion from which the articles can be readily taken by an operator.

A window for visually checking the number of components in the container is provided, preferably by making the entire movable wall 124 of a transparent material such Fig. 14 of my Patent No. 2,860,404 diagrammatically illustrates the manner in which the containers 38 facilitate the distribution of components to various work centers. Tote boxes 144 are provided which are proportioned to receive eight or ten containers. The tote boxes 144 in turn slide intoa stock roomrack 1 46 in a manner similar to a drawer. The stock room attendants fill the component containers 146 at any convenient time and store the loaded containers in tote boxes 144 placed in the rack 146. Whenever components are required at the production line a tote box 144 is withdrawn'and carried or transported to the appropriate work" center. At the work center the container 38 is taken from the tote box 144 and dropped on the mounting foot 132 at the Work center. As the container descends onto the foot 132 the tops of the flanges 138 engage the bottom of the movable wall 124 so that the wall is slid upwardly and the components descend down the chute 136 to the depression 140 where they are picked up by the operator.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. For use in a manufacturing operation a dispenser for components required during the operation, comprising an elongated rectilinear housing one elongated wall of which is movable lengthwise of the housing, a declivous bottom piece which extends transversely from the lower end of the movable wall to the opposite wall of the housing to form a V-shaped recess in the bottom: of the housing, a mounting foot adapted to be attached to a supporting surface, the foot having a corresponding declivous portion which removably engages the V-shaped recess to hold the housing with its elongated walls in a vertical position and conjointly engages the lower edge of the movable wall to lift the wall upwardly to permit the components in the dispenser to flow downwardly and outwardly along the bottom piece under the force of gravity.

2. For use in a manufacturing operation a dispenser for components required during the operation, comprising an elongated rectilinear housing one elongated wall of which is movable lengthwise of the housing, a declivous bottom piece which extends transversely from the lower end of the movable wall to the opposite Wall of the housing to form a V-shaped recess in the bottom of the housing, and a mounting foot adapted to be attached to a supporting surface and having a corresponding declivous portion which removably engages the li -shaped recess to hold the housing with its elongated walls in a vertical position, the foot also having anextension of the declivous portion with upturned lips which form a chute, the lips engaging the lower edge of the movable wall to lift the wall so that the components are fed by gravity through the resulting aperture into the chute.

3. For use in a manufacturing operation a dispenser for components required during the operation, comprising an elongated rectilinear housing one elongated Wall of which is slidable lengthwise of the housing, a declivous bottom piece which extends transversely from the lower end of the movable wall to the opposite Wall of the housing to form a V-shaped recess in the bottom of the housing, and a mounting foot adapted to be attached to a supporting surface and having a corresponding declivous portion which removab-ly engages'the V-shaped recess to hold the housing with its elongated walls in a vertical position, the foot also having an extension of the declivous portion with upturned lips which form a chute, the lips engaging the lower edge of the movable wall to lift the wall so that the components are fed by gravity through the resulting aperture into the chute, the outer end of the chute being provided with a depression to arrest the movement of the components fed from the housing.

4. For use in a manufacturing operation a dispenser for components required during the operation, comprising an elongated rectilinear housing one elongated wall of which is movable lengthwise of the housing, the movable wall being of a transparent material andvprovided with indicia to provide a count of the number of components in the dispenser, a declivous bottom piece which extends transversely from the lower end of the movable wall to the opposite wall of the housing to form a V-shaped recess in the bottom of the housing, a mounting foot adapted to be attached to a supporting surface and having a corresponding declivous portion which removably engages the V-shaped recess to hold the housing with its elongated Walls in a vertical position, the foot also having an extension of the declivous portion with upturned lips which form a chute, the lips engaging the lower edge of the movable wall to lift the wall so that the components in the dispenser flow downwardly and outwardly into the chute under the force of gravity.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

